Ocala natives Bowe, Mantia going to Sochi

Sunday

Dec 29, 2013 at 5:43 PMDec 29, 2013 at 8:07 PM

A day after Ocala native Brittany Bowe clinched a berth in the Olympics for the first time, another former Ocalan followed suit Sunday.

Staff report

KEARNS, Utah — A day after Ocala native Brittany Bowe clinched a berth in the Olympics for the first time, another former Ocalan followed suit Sunday.Vanguard High School graduate Joey Mantia set a personal record and finished third in the 1,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic speedskating trials with a time of 1 minute, 7.88 seconds.The 2004 VHS grad finished sixth during Saturday's 500-meter Olympic qualifier. Only the top four spots for each distance earn a ticket to Sochi, Russia. The Winter Games begin Feb. 7.Meanwhile on the women's side, Bowe finished second in Saturday's 500 and Sunday's 1,000 to roommate Heather Richardson, a North Carolina native. Bowe, a three-time Star-Banner girls basketball player of the year, graduated from Trinity Catholic in 2006.“So proud of Brittany, and real happy to be able to join her (in Sochi),” Mantia said, “so it's going to be a really cool journey.”Joining Bowe and Richardson on the women's 1,000-meter team are Sugar Todd and Kelly Gunther, the latter completing her comeback from a gruesome ankle injury shortly after she just missed making the Vancouver Olympics. “I can't believe it,” Gunther said, “with everything I've been through and fighting back.” Bowe is the world-record holder in the 1,000, setting the mark of 1:12.58 at the oval in suburban Salt Lake City just last month. She didn't come close to that time at the trials, settling for the second spot in 1:13.93 and conceding she was worn down a bit after the grueling World Cup schedule. “It was a solid race,” Bowe said. “Was it as fast as I would've liked? No. But it was good enough to put me on the Olympic team, and that's all that matters.” Richardson's winning time was 1:13.23. She and Bowe will go to Sochi as the favorites in the 1,000 — a role that Richardson relishes. “Just remember to take deep breaths and relax and have fun,” she said. “That's when I skate my best.” Joining Mantia on the men's 1,000-meter team are Shani Davis, Brian Hansen and Jonathan Garcia. Davis, the two-time defending Olympic champion, won with a time of 1:07.52 in the next-to-last pair. Hansen came up just short in the final race, crossing the line in 1:07.53.At age 31 and likely preparing for his final Winter Games, Davis is already assured of being remembered as one of the greats of the sport. He's not ready to slow down just yet. “I'm the older brother to all these young guys,” he said. “I'm just trying to keep them at bay. They're nipping at me.” Davis has locked up at least two events in Sochi, also claiming a spot in the 500, and is favored in the still-to-come 1,500, a distance that produced silver medals in Turin and Vancouver. In addition, there's a chance he'll take part in the team pursuit, a race he passed on at previous Olympics because he didn't want to affect preparations for his individual events. But the most poignant performance Sunday was turned in by Garcia, who was disqualified the previous day in the 500 for not wearing his timing transponders, after skating fast enough to make the Olympics. He came back to finish fourth in the 1,000 at 1:07.96, good enough to claim the first Olympic berth of his career.Qualifying continues Tuesday with Bowe and Mantia trying to earn Olympic spots in the 1,500. Mantia won a World Cup event in the 1,500 in Berlin on Dec. 6.----Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.